Musical instrument.



No. 776,933.A I PATENTED DBG. 6, 1904. U. C. PIPES. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATIDN FILED DEO.12, 1903.

No" MODEL.

Patented December 6, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

URIAH CLINTON PIPES, OF AROADIA, LOUISIANA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,933, dated December6, 1904,

Application tiled December 12, 1903. Serial No. 184,936. KNO model T0all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, URIAH CLINTON Prrns,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Arcadia,y in the parish ofBienville and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful MusicalInstrument, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to violins; and the primary object thereof is toprovide a musical instrument which will prove capable of producing arich resonant tone without liability of the tone becoming marred byconflicting sound-waves intersecting one another. As is well known, theexcellence of tone quality depends upon the uniformity of the vibrationof the sound-waves and the equal distribution thereof in all parts ofthe sound-box previous to their escapement through the f-holes. As thetop and bottom plates of the sound box or harp of the violin distributethe major portion of the sound-waves, it is desirable that they work inunison; but at the same time provision must be made for the properdisposition of the bridge upon the top plate of the instrument.

The construction of the invention whereby the desired result isaccomplished will be clearly described hereinafter, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation ofa violin, parts being' broken away to illustrate the interior thereof.Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal sectional View ofthe violin. Fig. 3 isa crosssectional view through the violin looking toward the neck, takenon the line 3 8 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4L is a fragmentary perspective viewof a portion of the sound-board, showing the sound-table attachedthereto.

The sound-box consists of the usual belly and back plates l and 2,connected by a continuous intermediate rim or band 3. On either side ofthe sound-box is a lining comprising two spaced strips 4 and 5, glued orotherwise fastened to the adjacent rim-band portion, so as tobecomepractically an integral part of the sound-box. These spaced strips 4 and5 are further connected by a pluf-holes 10 and 11.

rality of spaced transverse sound posts 6, which snugly lit against thestrips and against the inner wall of the band, the strips andsound-posts adding considerable strength to the sound-box, as well asmaterially contributing to the successful distribution of the soundwaveswithin the resonant area of the soundbox. The sound-posts 6 arepreferably equidistantly spaced except at points near the respectiveends of the box, so that the vibrations will be distributed from thebelly of the violin at regular intervals. The distances between theposts 6 near the respective ends of the box are greater than at theintermediate portions, because the head and tail blocks 7 and 8 willcompensate for the differences in distance between the posts.

The belly or front plate 1 of the violin-body is provided with alongitudinally-disposed sound-bar 9 at one side of the longitudinalcenter of the belly-plate and between the The bar 9 is provided with anintermediate slot or cut-away portion 12, which is so disposed withrelation to the remaining parts of the instrument that it will bepositioned immediately below one leg of the violin-bridge, permittingthe vibration thereof corresponding to the vibration of the stringsimparted bythe bow. The other leg of the bridge will rest upon thebelly-plate immediately between the two interior sounding-posts 13 and14, which support the transversely-disposed sounding-table l5,illustrated as comprising a disk connected to the sound-bar 9 by a rigidconstricted connectingbar 16.

Instead of the usual method of mounting the bridge I have found itgreatly advantageous to permit both legs of the bridge to vibrate, andto this end it is contemplated to place the bridge directly over thespace between the two sound-posts and over the slot in the bar. Such anarrangement will permit the vibration from the strings to becommunicated to the sound-box immediately over the posts 13 and 14,where they will collect and be distributed to the bar 9 and then to thesound-box, each and every part contril uting to produce a smooth, even,but resonant tone with an absence of inharmonious or false tone values.

I/Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a violin, a sound-bar carried by the belly of the violin, asound-post carried by the belly of the violin and having one endconnected to the sound-bar.

2. A violin having' a longitudinal sound-bar connected to and dependingfrom the belly of the violin, the upper edge of the sound-bar having anopening extending at opposite sides of the adjacent leg of the bridge,soundposts depending from the belly at opposite sides of the other legof the bridge, and a cross-bar connecting the sound-posts and thesound-bar in alinement with the bridge.

3. In a violin, a sound-bar therein with a slot, and spaced sound-postsconnected to the belly and to the sound-bar.

4. A violin having two spaced sound-posts secured to the belly thereof,a sound-table carried by the free ends o1c the posts and a soundbarconnected to the table.

5. A violin having two spaced'sound-posts, a sound-bar having a slotalining with the space between the posts, and a sound-table connected tothe posts and to the bar.

6. A violin comprising' a back, a belly, a rim separate from andconnected to the bach and belly, liner-Strips separate from the rim andconnected to the inner face thereof at the top and bottom edges of therim, and a pcripheral series of sound-posts separate from the rim andthe strips and lying against and connected to said elements.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

URIAH CLINTON IJIPIS.

W'itnesses:

J. A. DORMAN,

W. U. RICHARDSON.

